The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-03-31
An Excursion Beyond tie Roanoke.
[Dr. }. J. Laffe:ty in Richmond Christian
Advocate.

bacco in North Carolina had never seen.
I have been on the selvage OF that peculiar
territory more than once, as IN warren
comfy. 1t Littlcton, and Rockingham, at !
pri.IlyiIIp Last week, b, way ot the Al
jantic Coast Line straight, smooth AID
swift to WeldOn-and up the Roanoke on :
tlin Raleigh road, visited a cllIef town III
! tue yellow plant country. l spent day ut
Oxf0rd. L doEt chew, smoke OF carry
s,iuf-box 1 have 10 lcaningS towards the
Indian Weed, except as matter 81 chilo5-
! itv and commerce. | take interest Ill ms
! stable az a product Of our country.
| land, dat few years ago could have
/ hrra bought for two dollars al acre no"
! command forty. 1t IS Il light, gray poor
] it,oking sell, seemingly Goot,, If for any
! ti,ium only old field pine and Ert n-sedge.
Ii'i j. the fertilizer that brings the tobacco;
| Without heavy maturing planting WoHld
! be prOftlcss. \ field of ten acres Will pro-
,iucc different grades Of tobacco, LII Tact,
! two bills not yard apart will vary in
| the value Of the plants as much as thirty |
/ dollars 10 the hundred pounds.
! OXf.r! in Granville county, was VII |
/ Iagc for Il century Or more, bat the recent |
demand for bright-leaf gave the quiet ham, !
let a bulge. 1t is difficult 10 find the az
ciput landmarks in the new growing, brisk
city. The private residences are not jam
med chimney to chimney. There are great
lawns often with avenues of huge oaks
leading t. The dwellings, It hundred yards
from the stree. In these immense yards
are one OF Two trunks I'll tIlt HCti'itlH'hS
The e vines near the ground attain snipTla-
ing siZe-the stem Is big as your body
The branches cover the top OF extensive
s,aff0ldings. One wire VII spread over an
acre 4 noted one made canopy Tor SIX
acres The neighhoEhDod helped itself to
, the grapes by bushels. Barrels OF wine
we're made after everybody Whereabouts
had Toasted On the traits. have never
2 seen TIE equal in tincneas and favor OF the
;, North Carolina SCuppcinOHg.
Oxford has, Of course, many large To-
5 Dacco houses. 1t market is attended by
buyers from the famous manufactures IN
/. the United States The Jaw leaf from the
farmer wagon. if Of the peculiar color,
brings seTcnty-!iye dollars per hundred.
Il on my way ont | had the good fortune to
travel for a distance with Colonel Davis,
:. nov in the North Carolina Conference, my
roommate at the Preparatory school t.
q RundU!p Nj con. at HidgGWaE, thirty oid
wears ago. He LETT All arm at Stiasburg
! Va, While leading a brigade. Boy and
man, he is Of the best type of Christian
Ut gentleman As we passed the station
where we had together tussled with Caesar
t. AMI "all Gaui' in our calloW youth, he
- pointed out certain familiar places unseen
10y me for third Of a century. Brothel
Cole, OF shat circuit, who joined us at the
depot, has it in his purpose to blow trvlin
p along the Roanoke i'll April, and sum
n. mon all our comrades Of the by-g0nh year
to Ridgeway for the recital Of the "Olt
cal allusions to those sChool-b0y days an
doingS. At Henderson the Rev. }. ID. Al
- mold Salut1d our growing company. y
no dusk we made the twelve miles from TIA
point on tn trunk line to Oxford, on
"a prong railroad that ends thee.
eS The pastor at Oxford gave Us welcome q
al shutdown at the station, and set us dow
+ from the carriage at Dr. Whites, an ole
style and genuine North Carolina gentle
nd man There was hurry to remove cindcr:
ri, lpoI n NJ
~, take tea in an hour. The clever cOmpai
ny ions on the Cars made me truant 10 the ta>
'ol Of turning over my notes OH the way, an
on putting fresh printing i'll the pan:
,ot Brother w. l.. Cunning2in had the ski
49,, to awaken the interest Of the cOmnlunlt
ICE by iudiciOus advertising, like dragging a
his aniSe seed bag where fox dogs use. Nhe
.as somebody reported you can't get near til
"a door" for the crowd, | had my misgivine
lu about ntglectirg to glance at the sheets
Of paper il my valise With the key-words an
en- short hand sentences When we edged OF
mr. way down the aisle amid great clattcr {
canes and Clapplng of hands it looked lIk
III | had, i'll the Arkansas dialect, ''cut o
of more than | could chaW."
q The North Carolina audience docsn
:, come to crticise. You are III their eyes
!! guest Of the city, and they are present
ri see that you have good Send-Otf. Con
Is. mend HE to the hearty souls of old Graz
80 willie. They had made up their minds til
81 affair should go off we'll. Lecturing befOr
ne 50 friendly an audience was like sWimmin
DIS i'll oil-you couldn't sink, and a small
II stroke Shot you smoothly ahead
~, At the end OF an hour and a half | wa
lu- sure there were not enough unbrOkcn shO
rs strings, SuSpender buckles nor corset stay
of remaining to carry the company safel
y, o ne, and so blew down brakes. Their
~ was insistence to go ahead and that den.
ID. crowd sWeItered and ch2ered for two hour
ny and quarter 1t was one in the mOrnn
- before [ could turn in to a great swollen
lit drOpSical, de!l shtiul feather bed. An
re they were bent on doing me equal honor iii
/ next night. The town turned out, but III
,o second wind failel me, and quit Ii;
to tie short of two homs. The rich supper 0
III Mrs. Hayes had foundered me before
nd went on the track.
he made visit to the Orphan Asylum
~ under the superintendent of Rev Dr.
st Dixon, of the North Carolina Conference
1t is a large, imposing building, in a grea
rs grove OF oak, surrounded by its farm 0
no two hundred and fifty acres. The structur
Is OF modern architecture and pleasing
et Near by Is an ample machinery hall an(
IN workshops, besides residences. The boy
or are taught the trades. | met tie little PEG
pie i'll the chapel, and made them shor
= tdresS. In the printing department the,
he were working off weekly journal OF th
IN town. The Asylum is a noble charity IN
af der the auspices Of the Masons, but helped
VI by Church and State. 1t is managed will
OF discretion and success by Dir. Dixon, Wh'
ed carries i'll his face the evidence Of thu
nc kindness and wisdom so essential in such
WORK.
IN Our church edihce, while slightly an;
ed substantial, will be exchanged for a new
in and elegant building in a most eligbl,
!, place. The best element i'll the cOmmunit,
n, are with us. Brother CUNNINGHAM is i
ld student, and with mother Wit WithaI. II,
I'd searches the hooks for choice MATERIAL ant
~ Weayes it with the wool of homeSpun sens,
~ bright, balanced sterling character.
e Time would fail to tell of the superior
~ church-homc our brethren at Henderson
No are bringing to completion. 1t is OF brick
With tower, and in the proportions ant
p style of city temples. The Rev. j. ID. Al
II, mold ministers to the flock there. Cole, d
# Ridgeway, cOmpanied with ne, and re
-. freshed me- Reid, of the -4dc0cGte, Wa
90 passenger on the returning train, and made
st tie miles seem few by clever conso. ting
at for the good of the order" Nelson, o
- and i'll good trim. God willing | mus
Ell have another holiday over the Roanoh,
IN when the buds open
o. had roomed with Cunningham at The
= Conference at Charlotte. And this mad,
IL my visit OF greater pleasure. These Nortl
\. CarolinlanS will be first. They fought lilt
t. war had been their business for ages. The,
doubled us in adding disciples last wear
They beat the world in the golden leaf
They have the highest peaks east of I'll,
Mississippi. My pencil is worn to dul
end. FIhis. j. L.
ii On the Cars, March 9th.
ID The ./nasc agrees with the New
IN York SIN that we should forget tn,